The SAR MAGAZINE is the official quarterly publication of the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution published quarterly.
Issue link: http://sar.epubxp.com/i/109748
Great Bridge Revisted continued nearby re-enactment campsite with a narrated step-by-step re-enactment of the Battle of Great Bridge and the November 1775 engagements between patriots and the troops of James Murray, Earl of Dunmore and governor of Virginia, at Kemp's Landing (which is closer to Norfolk), the latter having encouraged the Tory governor to build his fort at Great Bridge. On Sunday, the weekend of celebration concluded with a noon Colonial Church service at historic St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Norfolk. This church has a cannonball in one of its walls remaining from Dunmore's New Year's Day 1776 bombardment that contributed to the burning of Norfolk. The Rev. Scott Hennessy conducted this service in the liturgical manner used in the 18th century. Virginia 16 Color Guard Commander Peter Davenport led the posting of the colors at the opening of the service and a parade to the graveyard at its conclusion, when SAR and DAR chapters laid memorial wreaths at patriot gravesites. Vestry Director Nathaniel McCormick and his wife then hosted a feast for the DAR and SAR. Mrs. McCormick and the ladies of the church provided delicious dishes familiar to those in the 18th century, including mulled cider punch, salmon, sliced ham, salads and bread pudding with whiskey sauce. Afterward, President General Leishman offered the following comments for this article: "I often think of history in terms of cause and effect. The Battle of Great Bridge is one example. It should stand out as one of the critical actions, albeit small as compared to other battles, of the American Revolutionary War in that it caused the British to abandon a major midAtlantic safe harbor and seaport. This permitted Colonialists the freedom to operate in the entire length of the Chesapeake Bay—including the Potomac River waterway and the protection of Washington's home at Mt. Vernon. It allowed the Colonies to be supplied by nation states sympathetic to their fight for freedoms. It also freed up troops for George Washington to deploy away from the Bay. It set the stage for the war. "Yes, I do feel this bit of history should be included in our history books. When I studied U.S. history in public schools and at the university, I don't recall anything on the Battle of Great Bridge at the beginning of the war or the battles in the southern campaign." Williams summarized the comments he made in a TV interview after the ceremony: "The importance of the Battle of Great Bridge cannot be measured by the number of combatants on the two sides. The victory achieved here by the Virginia and North Carolina militias over Lord Dunmore's Regulars proved to be of strategic importance. Not only were the rebels greatly encouraged by their success, but within weeks, the British were compelled to evacuate the major port city of Norfolk, not to set foot on Virginia soil for another three years. This freed Virginia to serve as a breadbasket for patriot forces fighting in Colonies in the North and the South, and to become a safe haven for the movement of troops and supplies across her territory." Indeed, the Patriots' amazing victory on Dec. 9, 1775, suggests the prayer offering during another crisis, the siege of Gilbraltar: "Fear not the result, for either thy end shall be an enviable and a majestic one, Or God will preserve our reign upon the waters." — From a prayer repeated by Winston Churchill during the dark days of World War II, quoted from Larry Arnn, Imprimis, 41:12 (December 2012), p. 5. For the combatants of Dec. 9, 1775, the first line applies especially to the heroic Capt. Charles Fordyce and the British, and the last to the strategic significance of the complete victory of Col. William SAR MAGAZINE